Moses Nornberg Soundboard Richmond BC

“Soundboard,” 109 inches tall and 148 inches wide, is Nornberg’s visual representation of sound. It’s loaded with 180 stereo components—from AM/FM receivers to 8-track players and tape decks—that Nornberg gutted. He rewired the 2,000 lights so they that they pulse in unison when connected to a sound source.

Moses Nornberg Soundboard

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October 27, 2009 By Brooke Lange

Pump Up the Volume

Artist Moses Nornberg is so obsessed with the fine detailing of retro audiovisual gear that he’s channeled his beautiful obsession into artistic shrines (in the form of life-size murals and sculpture).

“In the past, the consumer electronics industry [designed] for beauty and coolness,” says the 31-year-old San Francisco artist. “Now electronics are made cheaply; they’re not into the look of the buttons, the knobs.”

It’s loaded with 180 stereo components—from AM/FM receivers to 8-track players and tape decks—that Nornberg gutted. He rewired the 2,000 lights so they that they pulse in unison when connected to a sound source.

“Kids see ‘Soundboard’ as hip-hop, bling, brand new,” Nornberg says. “My parents’ generation sees it as a nostalgic piece—‘the radio I had in my dorm room in the ’60s when I was listening to Bob Dylan.’ People put their own soundtracks to it, and they all have different soundtracks.”

Nornberg is also fascinated with the components’ past lives.

“All of these objects have been touched so much,” he says. “I like things that people have interacted with. Each piece has a history.”

The SA-31MK is an upgrade from Vincent's SA-31. The output stage has two 6N16 vacuum tubes. The final output stage uses two more of the same tubes and functions in a pure Class A mode. The SA-31MK is analog only and features six RCA style inputs, and one record out.